Empire Chinese Takeaway in Highland

Phoned at 5:30 on a Saturday, was told order would be ready for 8:00. Went to alternative Chinese takeaway and waited 30 minutes. Drove past Empire and it was empty! Strange way to run a business, considering the previous owners had food ready in no longer than 20 minutes, regardless of how busy they were!

Shocking… they do not accept card, cash only. I didn’t actually receive what I ordered and the food was awful. One of the items I ordered was chips with salt and chilli, what I received was chips with salt.

Told 10 minutes, arrived early, shop empty, cook jumped up to start my food. Heard microwave start then she got wok going. Portion smaller than rival Chinese takeaway. Special chow mein had a few beansprouts and onion, no other veg and sauce was bland. Mostly noodles, some meat.

I'd like to know does the Empire takeaway use MSG monosodium glutamate as every time we eat here I get a really bad headache for 2 days. The food is really good but that's why ive given it 2 stars as I cant eat food here anymore because of the migraine type headaches I have straight after. I've eaten food in the other Chinese and it's fine.

Absolutely disgusting. Never seen anything like it, my crispy honey chicken was a few soggy lumps of chicken in some kind of congealed gel like substance filled with raw onion and carrots. Wifes was every bit as bad, her chicken was red instead of white but that was the only difference. Both meals went straight in the bin.

Since moving to caithness in 2001 we as a family have been die hard fans and customers of another local chinese takeaway but they were closed and we decided to opt for an alternative. The empire was chosen as an alternative but honestly think this will now become our first choice place to go! Firstly it was busy...to me that was a good sign! Our previous haunt was never busy and this was reassuring as first timers that were wary on what we were all going to get. Our only disappointment was there was no thai red curry however simply because we did not know the menu choice in advance- we found other suited menu choices and delighted with what we got! Everything was cooked beautifully, the food tasted fresh, full of flavour and was competitively priced. Will definitely return!

Food was good. Ordered Satay Chicken, Beef Mongo and Egg Fried Rice. For an Aussie ordering Chinese in North Scotland didn't expect much. Food had some spice to it which was good after the weeks of UK food. Service was quick, food came fast.

Hellish. First they gave me egg fried rice instead of boiled. The veg curry was mostly filled with onions and everything was SO salty I couldn't eat it, as well as having SO much FAT in the fried rice which I Hadn't even ordered. Yuk! This place isn't typical Chinese food, Chinese food is supposed to be healthy

I spent £60 on food that was tasteless and extremely disappointing - the crispy chicken in honey seemed to be filled up with hot water meaning it was no longer crispy and was more like soup, the gravy and bbq sauces both tasted similar yet still bland, the deep fried crispy chicken were pieces of chicken tikka in a cornflour batter (I didn't want an Indian tonight, thanks!). The only thing that we shared between us was a chicken chow mein (which also wasn't worth the money). The prices they charge for the standard of food supplied is embarassing, do they really think the people of Thurso don't know what Chinese food SHOULD taste like? So much for a night off cooking, this went in the bin...(I would have returned it but I don't live in town)

This was terrible. The shop was fairly busy and I have no idea why I order a chicken fried rice which was 8£ it had No flavour and was covered in oil. I would really recommend not trying this. Now this is making me feel funny after eating only half of it .

First time I've been in yrs the food was excellent 👏

Coming back from Orkney, I stayed at the station hotel. I passed by this New Empire Chinese takeaway restaurant. It's obviously opened by Chinese people, and it's authentic. After having the experience of Western and Chinese food a few days ago, I highly recommend it👍👍👍👍👍

Cash only, but entirely worth it. Best and most beautiful orange chicken I have ever eaten, and the golden rolls changed my life.

Chicken balls ok. But the mixed meat noodles were absolutely terrible. They were supposed to me mixed meat. Just chicken and I think spam....!!!!!.No soy very flavour less ...No bean sprouts spring onions etc.... Rubbish. Quite expensive also. £15.50 for just mixed meat chow mein and chicken balls . Never again if I'm up this way ..

Teach your cashier to read back what the customer ordered, on walk ins. It's common curiosity. Two Americans, eating Chinese in northern Scotland. Very different, but good. Love the rice puffs. Father came out to give us plates. One special egg foo young....no gravy. Was missing soy sauce, hot mustard sauce, or S/S sauce. Two hot n sour soups. One fried rice (but we paid for two)!!

Absolutely disgusting - Actually after first bite went in the bin, everything was watered down, no tatse just slimey. BBQ Sauce was yellow - gross. Seriously honey coated chicken - watered down - looked grey, tasted terrible I nearly threw up, bbq was even worse what a total disapointment. This used to be good now however total opposite. Put me off Chinese food for life. NEVER going back!

Very good tasty food and good service and prepared quickly

Average Chinese take away if you are hungry it will do. Unfortunately they don't accept credit cards so make sure u have old fashion paper money.

Awful Service and even worse food! Girl behind the counter was rude when pointed out I’d been waiting 15 minutes longer than the time I was given to collect (40 minutes wait when I called to order) & when we opened the tubs of food looked, smelled and tasted awful! Never again!!

Everything was way to salty,£50 wasted on food that wasn't edible due to the over powering taste of salt

Only takeaway open in Thurso tonight…I wanted to get Chicken Curry & Egg Fried rice and rang to order…. Asked if they took card or bank transfer payments.. No (later discovered on their page it does state cash only… my bad)…. Asked for delivery.. they don’t deliver despite it stating they do. (I’m housebound in a wheelchair).. Annoying really. Please update your details

WAS nice meal x not what order but ate it anyway my fault fir not checking before left

Hot and sour soup. Special curry and fried rice. Still piping hot when I arrived on foot at premier inn. Soup really tasty. Curry good too. Served quickly but was a Monday night

Amazing travelled from wick, to order my food very friendly staff, and the food is amazing reminds me of my local in Manchester :) fair prices too I'd recommend empire to folk thank you for your service

Only Chinese I ever use in Thurso as I received brilliant service the first time I went in there and have continued to do so ever since, so see no reason to change. (we order from here at least once a week) Staff are always friendly and polite, my order is always on time, and piping hot; I have to take it 7 miles home and still burn my fingers plating it up. You would have a hard time trying to find better and no doubt very easily find worse.

On hoilday from Glasgow if I could bring it home I would have It was roasting.so nice chips curry Gravy sauce was really thick and lovely Only comment bit expensive but not sure if that's just the price here were used to prices back home

Finally got around to trying Empire. I had low expectations due to their mixed reviews. I was pleasantly surprised. Our food was ready right on time and it was very good!

This used to be by far and away the best Chinese takeaway in town but has sadly gone downhill rapidly since the recent change in ownership

Coming from Europe I am used to higher quality of Chinese fast food. The rice wasgreat, so was the chicken, but the sauce tasted a bit like a store-bought one.

Very tasty Chinese food and pleasant staff

Really enjoyable Chinese, tasted great and didn't wait long at all. Ribs were a tad dry but everything else was great. I would go back again.

Pretty tasty chicken Satay - Cannot complain!

The ECT in Thurso is usually my go to Chinese takeaway but I warn people about the crispy beef with honey I tried recently... it was like tough pork scratchings swimming in a sugary goo... highly disappointing and was able to eat maybe a ¼ of it if that. Most chicken recipes are good though for the price.

New owners have taken over and when I was in the 2 children I’d say 10 and 12 was both in the kitchen, the older of the 2 dived around the normal server who was on the phone at the time to take my order then dived back and was doing the sauces, I don’t believe children of that age should be in or working in a kitchen also the food was awful! will avoid from now on I think

Food was absolutely minging chips were rotten and had to wait for ages even tho they said it be ready in 15 minutes had to wait half an hour never again will I ever buy from here again

Avoid the alleged chilli beef.....greasy rubbish and the house special rice was average. Curry sauce too runny.

Favourite Chinese takeaway in Thurso. Recommended.

Good food but don’t accept card payment.

Very good Chinese Out of the 3 Chinese takeaways in Thurso this is by far the best one Great value meal deals

Rubbish food rice hard and hardly ever open some staff not nice

Always busy working hard. Good meal this week.

worst chinese ive ever had the displeasure of tasting. We ordered 3 meals and the sauce was as bland as an a4 sheet of paper. Completley tastless. Please avoid!

The worst chinese I've ever had the displeasure of having! Ordered 3 meals and every one of the sauces were as bland a an a4 sheet of paper. Absolutely terrible! Avoid!

Food lovely, was working up there and was nice local pub friendly and we wear there foe 2 weeks but we enjoyed it a few time would recommend

Not happy with how rude staff are. After 3 previous visits i feel mistreated as a customer. Will not return here again!

Delicious! We shredded chicken, chefs special and chicken fried rice and a portion of chips - all thoroughly enjoyed our meals, would recommend 😀

Very nice food, used this place a few times now and never anything wrong. Personal taste that the prawn toast is a little over done for me but hubby loves it so does everyone else in the family lol I will certainly order from them for the foreseeable future 😁

Always great food, reasonable service with regards to cooking time shop always clean and tidy and staff very helpful and knowledgeable about products offered for sale, highly recommend, only downfall does not deliver directly, but taxi service in area can be used for pickup and delivery, caithness cabs

A lovely meal as always and great service and food, best place to get a take away.pete

Not the best Chinese I've ever had, but for the location it's really one of the only choices you've got. Good was fine, didn't get ill but it didn't blow my mind with flavour so it'll get a bang in the middle 3 I'm afraid.

Great place, friendly staff, good is good at a good price

Used this Chinese now for at least 4 years and never had a bad meal, last order was wrong got Pork sweet and sour instead of chicken but it was lovely so just ate it. Totally recommend.

The food was delicious.Staff very welcoming and efficient.Inexpensive, and portions very generous.Highly recommend.

Great takeaway, reasonable prices, quick service. Currently the best value for money Chinese in Thurso (last visit 08/10/18)

Good food, friendly owners, me and my wife can not fault them. We usually offer once a week over last few years..Never had a bad takeout there.

For a small town in the Highlands we have 3 Chinese! this is the best, good food, tasty and well served and priced.

The displayed opening times are rarely realistic, closed before 12 most nights. The food is basic but over priced and average at best for taste. Shame there isn’t another competitor in the area or would boycott altogether.

Basically its the best Chinese takeaway in Thurso. Food is good and service is very quick. Go there every week and every time food taste the same.

I had pork fried rice. Plenty of pork. The rice also contained egg and peas. No scallions. Good flavor, but a somewhat smaller portion than other restaurants.

Nice Chinese food with quick service

Brilliant Chinese Take away . The fried rice with pork and dry spare ribs are some of the best I have eaten. It's a clean and very nice looking place inside . The service was quick and friendly. Will definitely visit again when in the area .

Food always good & very consistent.

We ordered a variety of dishes that ended up all tasting exactly the same. A heavy sauce hardly Chinese. Can't recommend eating here.

Best place to go on a Saturday night after hitting the pubs as on weekends this place is open until two o'clock and there is nothing better to eat than a Chinese fast food on a Saturday night while trying to sober yourself up before bed! Quick cheap food, can't complain at all!

The girl on the counter, that took my order, had more time for her mobile phone, than taking my order. The food when I got it was very tasty and filling.

Quick service, good consistent food.

Friendly service, reasonable prices and have never been disappointed with the quality of their food.

I have visited here numerous times but the last twice the food has left me curled up in a ball with severe stomach pains the next day, won't be coming back. Staff is very friendly though

Was busy enough for a soggy Sunday night in Thurso. Staff were friendly and polite. Food was tasty, hot, a large portion and seemed fresh. Far better value than near-by competitors.

We had dinner here twice during our holiday in Caithness. The food and service was great and it looked well presented and tidy too.

I had a meal from the takeaway a few days ago and it was brilliant! The service is quick and the staff are really welcoming! Top marks!

Nos dieron un menú y por dentro era un vale por 3 libras cuando tienes que pasar 30 libras, así que conseguimos una comida para tres personas, lo que no se dice es que no está en el menú! Bueno, la comida era muy mala nunca he tenido una comida decente de esta china o cualquier chino en Thurso . Me gustaría que todos sacar sus calcetines y dar a los clientes una mejor calidad de la comida, ya que están pagando lo suficiente para! Es un robo total la comida no tiene sabor , la carne era duro, las salsas eran como la gelatina y el arroz es como comer pedazos de caucho . Gente de Thurso están recibiendo un rudo oferta en cuanto a comida para llevar ir . No malgastes mi dinero pero una vez al año, creo que tal vez se han mejorado pero he aprendido mi lección esta vez .

The crispy aromatic duck is a bit dry, but otherwise quite tasty. The staff are very friendly. The veggie chow mein wasn't particularly flavourfull... That said, it's a takeaway in Thurso, you can't hold any of these eateries to the highest of standards...

service in this chinese is very good you get free pran crakers with your meal and the staff are verry frendly and nice

Very helpful staff didn't want ham in the dishes so put more beef and chicken in vey good Chinese food will defiantly eat there again

Great food and friendly staff . The only thing not soo good is that they don't have it ready when u order it

The vegetable chow mein was a bit bland, and the crispy aromatic duck is a bit too, em, cripsy. As in dry. Friendly staff, tho, and not terrible food, I will probably go back.

Went to the empire the first night we arrived, have to say it was better than a lot of the Chinese meals I've had near where I live. I judge all Chinese on their beef, green pepper and black bean sauce and this place is definitely in my top 10. If the kids come up for the last few days of our holiday then I may have to try something else. The wife bought a crispy chicken in sweet chilli sauce which I thought was quite nice and edible but didn't overly impress.Good size portions of chips, mains and curry sauce.

This is a plain and simple Chinese where the food is always good.Big portions and not full of colours and MSG.We once even ate here on new years day !!!!Really good food and the service is always good and with a smile.

We always buy a meal for 2 deal and it's well worth it.Been living in Thurso for 14 years now and have tried all of the Chinese but the empire is by far the best one

Again for the small town there isn't much choice in food after hours, me and my partner stopped by to pick up some late night food, We got chicken parcels, BBQ ribs, honey chicken, egg fried rice and a curry sauce...I uploaded a photo of the "chicken" parcels, the 'meat' in those parcels was questionable...it didn't have the texture or flavour of chicken in the slightest!! Same with the honey chicken, yuk. The ribs were okay, the egg fried rice had no flavour and the curry sauce was bland as well...all in all the food was absolutely disgusting and went in the bin a waste of £20!! Do yourselves a favour and eat elsewhere, I would rather go hungry than eat there again.

Not much the choice up there so go with the hand you are dealt. Good range of hot and wholesome food for those leaving the pub across the road.

Open till late while all around were closed, this takeaway stopped my children from going to bed hungry after a long journey.Food was reasonably priced and the kids enjoyed what they ordered.